Allan Zeman has some advice about winning and what millennials can do for a better future
The property and entertainment mogul behind Lan Kwai Fong acknowledges the deeping social divide and urges compassion, innovation
Hong Kong’s government and its companies should listen to the views and desires of young people if they want to see the city move forward, according to Allan Zeman, the entrepreneur behind the city’s hugely successful Lan Kwai Fong entertainment district.
“It is important for us to listen to the young people and to what they want. We cannot neglect them, we need to let them see they have a future in Hong Kong: we have to let them win sometimes,” Zeman told the South China Morning Post.
“Many young people graduate with a university degree but cannot find a job, while many others cannot afford to buy their own homes. Many young people are unemployed or only earn low salaries. They may need 75 years of salary to repay a mortgage and they feel they can never catch the boat and that things are hopeless,” he said.
Zeman, who started his first business at the age of 19, said the government has to help young people to get jobs or to set up their businesses as well as help improve living conditions.
“Living in a decent place is a basic human right. For young people who are living in subdivided flats, it is impossible for them to feel happy. When they are not happy, it gets easier for them to join protests like the Occupy Central movement or others to show their unhappiness,” he said.
